Questions about the NMF and its Mouse Resources

What kinds of mouse models are being developed by the NMF?

The Neuroscience Mutagenesis Facility at The Jackson Laboratory is involved in the generation and preliminary characterization of new mutant mice to serve as models of neurological, sensory and behavioral disorders and for studying their basic mechanisms.

Where may I find information about NMF Mouse Resources?

As new phenodeviant and mutant mice are identified, they will be posted at the NMF Center Web site. We will post information on all confirmed phenodeviants that are detected. However, only those that are relevant to the Aims of the NMF will be subjected to further characterization, e.g. formal heritability testing, secondary phenotyping and genetic mapping.

We will also regularly announce the availability of new mice using the Mouse Genome Informatics E-mail list. If you would like to subscribe to this list, visit the MGI-List Web site.

What is the difference between a phenodeviant mouse and a mutant mouse?

Phenodeviant mice have one or more traits that, based on an initial survey and reexamination, when appropriate, appear to be either abnormal (i.e. categorical phenotype) or otherwise out of the normal range of variation (i.e. quantitative phenotype). These deviations may or may not be heritable. Phenodeviants are considered to be mutant mice only when an aberrant trait is proven to be heritable.

How is heritability defined?

A new phenodeviation is declared "tentatively heritable" when two or more individuals within the pedigree appear to have the same phenotypic abnormality. "Proven" heritability is established only when the abnormality is transmitted to offspring.

What do strain generation prefixes like 'G', 'F', 'N', and 'NE' mean?

"G" is a generic prefix for "generation", used predominantly in mutagenesis schemes (e.g. where G0 is the mutagenized generation, G1 is the first generation, etc). "F" is strictly for "filial" generation, i.e. progeny of matings between siblings. "N" stands for backcross matings, i.e. back to the parent or parental strain. "NE" stands for N-equivalent and is used when a subsequent generation is crossed back to a prior one.

What is a Phenotype "Synopsis"?

A phenotype synopsis is a brief interpretative summary of the behavioral, neurological and/or sensory phenotype, or the pathology report for a phenodeviant or mutant mouse (including the problem which led to its initial detection).  A detailed description of NMF mutants is available on pages linked to the synopses.

How may I get mice from the NMF?

For each mutant strain produced by the NMF, information about availability is posted on our web pages (http://nmf.jax.org/), and a link to the appropriate order page can be found at the top and bottom of the mutant description page. Activating this link will bring you to the http://neuromice.org/ web site. All on-line NMF orders (as well as those for mutants from the Northwestern University Neurogenomics Projects and The Tennessee Mouse Genome Consortium) are routed through the neuromice.org web site, which was created to represent a common 'virtual store front' for neurological mutants for neuroscience research (see: NIMH-01-DN-0018 (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/contracts/index.cfm). Confirmed mutant strains will be made available after the NMF has completed the initial characterization, including secondary phenotyping, heritability testing, genetic mapping and the establishment of a breeding colony (or frozen sperm repository) that is sufficient in size and quality to supply resources to all interested investigators. Some mutant strains may be made available prior to genetic mapping, but users should be aware that these strains could merely represent re-mutations of previously described loci. Scientists interested in strains that are not yet listed as available should contact us via the email link on the respective Phenodeviant detail page. We will try to answer any questions you may have about the strain, and its approximate availability date. Upon request, we will also notify you when a strain's status has changed to 'Available'. Orders will be taken no sooner than seven days after a strain is listed as available. When you place your order, please tell us whether you agree that your name be disclosed to other parties who may seek this information to help them gauge their own level of interest. Otherwise, we will simply publish the number of orders that have been filled. Although we will typically expect to ship up to two breeding pairs per order, this will depend upon the stock size and demand. The recipient agrees to acknowledge the source of the mice, and to refer to the mutant line at least once by its given name (e.g. NMF12) in any publication reporting use of it. A $20 fee plus shipping and handling costs will be charged for each live NMF mouse ordered (please inquire about the price of frozen material at nmf-mice@jax.org). All orders require the completion of an MTA, which can be downloaded during the ordering process.

Phenotypic deviants (i.e. mice with deviations that may or may not be heritable) that are not relevant to the NMF's primary mission (e.g. non-neurological phenotypes or those that are of lesser interest, due to their commonness, complexity, suspect heritability etc.) are posted at http://nmf.jax.org/nmf/noci.jsp; they will be available for up to 30 days (and no sooner than 2 weeks) following posting on a first-come, first-served basis. Each putative mutant mouse will be sent plus as many surviving littermates as can be spared. For low priority mutant mice that show at least tentative heritability, efforts will be made to cryopreserve germplasm for future recovery. Shipping and handling costs will be the responsibility of the recipient.

How may I get mutant mice recovered from frozen sperm?

Frozen material (sperm, embryos, etc.) can be ordered through http://neuromice.org/; however, please contact nmf-mice@jax.org for availablity, costs and additional details. Recovery, shipping and handling costs will be the responsibility of the recipient.

May I conduct my own phenotype screen using mice from the NMF?

Typically, there are no "extra" mice in the NMF program for additional screens - we operate at full capacity. However, there are two ways in which qualified extramural investigators may screen mice from the program. The first is through our Visiting Investigator Program, which is intended primarily as a way to incorporate complementary extramural expertise in the development or implementation of new primary or secondary screens. The second is to perform your own primary screening by receiving our "used" mice, i.e. those that have completed 13 weeks of phenotype screening and have shown no phenodeviant behavior. Due to the logistical difficulties of holding and preparing such mice for shipping, "used" mice, if available, may be distributed to a few qualified recipients, in bulk, without guarantee of pedigree identification. For details, please inquire at nmf-mice@jax.org. Shipping and handling costs will be responsibility the of the recipient.

How may I get data associated with a phenodeviant or mutant mouse?

A summary of the traits observed for a phenodeviant or confirmed mutant mouse will be provided at http://nmf.jax.org/. Detailed phenotype data for individual mutant mice will be provided upon request, please contact nmf-mice@jax.org.

May I get other resources related to mutant mice?

The NMF is prepared to make available certain mutant-related non-renewable resources on a first-come, first-served basis to qualified investigators who have received the respective NMF mutant line. Examples of such resources include, but are not limited to, surplus mapping cross DNA, hybrid mice and tissue blocks from a particular NMF line that an investigator has obtained. Requests for such resources (along with specific justification) should be made once a shipping date has been arranged. In cases for which we are experiencing undue delays in distributing a mutant line, genomic DNA may be available prior to mutant release. Since these types of resources are extremely limited, it is likely that we will have sufficient supply for only the first few qualified requests. For details please inquire at nmf-mice@jax.org.

How often is new information posted to or updated on the NMF Web site?

New confirmed phenodeviants and mutant mice will be posted to the NMF Web site usually within weeks of their confirmation. Web reports will be updated when the availability status changes.

Where may I find more information about the NMF?

A description of our Center can be found at our Web site.

Where do the funds come from to support the NMF?

The Neuroscience Mutagenesis Facility at The Jackson Laboratory is funded by a group of seven NIH institutes (The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, The National Institute of Drug Abuse, The National Institute of Mental Health, The National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, The National Institute of Aging, The National Eye Institute, and The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) as part of a cooperative agreement. Two other neurological mutant mouse facilities operate under this U01 - The Tennessee Mouse Genome Consortium  and the Northwestern Neurogenomics Project; the common web site of all three centers is located at http://neuromice.org.  Activities of the three centers are overseen by the Neurosciences Steering Committee which consists of Robert Karp (NIH-NIAAA), Steve Brown (Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell, UK), Michael Cherry (Stanford University), Richard Thompson (UCLA) plus the three principal investigators of each facility.